(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a maintenance management system which monitors and manages a plurality of computers linked together by a network. Further, the present invention relates to a computer readable medium storing program code instructions which cause a processor of a maintenance management system to execute a control processing which monitors and manages a plurality of maintenance objects interconnected by a network.
(2) Description of the Related Art
A maintenance management system which monitors and manages a plurality of computers interconnected by a network is known. Monitoring and maintenance operations for a plurality of computers interconnected by a network can be performed by a few operators on a single computer of the maintenance management system. In addition, the maintenance management system of the above type generally includes a display device specifically designed to display a diagrammatic image of the network to show operating conditions of the respective computers on the network. Hence, the above-mentioned maintenance management system is useful for immediate recognition of the conditions of the computers on the network.
However, in the above-mentioned maintenance management system, when a problem or malfunction of one of the computers on the network occurs, it is impossible to display an actual position of the defective computer in a local area or a building. Although a connection node of the defective computer in the structure of the network of the computers can be detected and displayed by the above-mentioned maintenance management system, it is difficult to provide immediate recognition of the actual position of the defective computer in the local area or the building.
If a maintenance operator knows the actual position of the computer of concern in advance, maintenance operations for the defective computer can be smoothly performed. However, if the maintenance operator does not know the actual position of the computer of concern, various maintenance operations are needed to eliminate the problem of the defective computer. For example, the maintenance operator has to ask about the actual position of the computer of concern in the building, check surrounding devices in the vicinity of the computer of concern, and make certain that the computer visited by the operator is the defective computer displayed by the above-mentioned maintenance management system.
When a very large number of computers are interconnected by a local area network, or when some computers are installed at concealed positions, such as under a floor or in a ceiling of a building, the maintenance load needed for repairing the defective computer becomes considerably large in the case of the above-mentioned maintenance management system.
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved maintenance management system in which the above-mentioned problems are eliminated.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a maintenance management system which effectively reduces the maintenance load and facilitates immediate recognition of an actual position of one of a plurality of maintenance objects, interconnected by a network, in a local area or a building when a problem of that maintenance object occurs.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a maintenance management system which can be installed with a minimal amount of load needed for setting various parameters in the maintenance management system before practical use.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a computer readable medium storing program code instructions for causing a processor of a maintenance management system to execute a control processing which monitors and manages a plurality of maintenance objects on a network, in order to reduce the maintenance load and facilitate quick recognition of a position of a target maintenance object within the network.
The above-mentioned objects of the present invention are achieved by a maintenance management system comprising: an installation unit which installs a plurality of model data corresponding to maintenance objects, interconnected by a network, into a virtual three-dimensional space, the plurality of model data correlating the maintenance objects with positions in the virtual three-dimensional space; and a display unit which displays images of the maintenance objects in the virtual three-dimensional space at the positions based on the plurality of model data.
The above-mentioned objects of the present invention are achieved by a computer readable medium storing program code for causing a processor of a maintenance management system to execute a control processing which monitors and manages a plurality of maintenance objects interconnected by a network, comprising: a first program code device which causes the processor to install a plurality of model data corresponding to the maintenance objects into a virtual three-dimensional space, the plurality of model data correlating the maintenance objects with positions in the virtual three-dimensional space; and a second program code device which causes the processor to display images of the maintenance objects in the virtual three-dimensional space at the positions based on the plurality of model data.
In the maintenance management system of the present invention, the images of the maintenance objects in the virtual three-dimensional space are displayed at the positions based on the model data which is produced for the maintenance objects. It is possible for the maintenance management system of the present invention to facilitate immediate recognition of an actual position of one of the maintenance objects in a local area or a building when a problem of that maintenance object occurs. The maintenance management system of the present invention is effective in reducing the maintenance load of maintenance operators. It is possible to easily install the maintenance management system of the present invention with a minimal amount of load needed for setting various parameters in the maintenance management system before practical use.